


Fallout

by inqwex



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, team fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9982226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inqwex/pseuds/inqwex
Summary: S3 was wrapped up a little too neatly; or how Eve and Flynn's deceptions had farther reaching consequences than they'd intended.





	1. Chapter 1

The pieces of the round platform in the centre of the chamber rumbled back into place, and a silence fell.

Flynn sighed in relief, sagging in his Guardian’s arms. A fierce kiss landed on his cheek, and he couldn’t restrain a grin as Eve peppered the side of his face with kisses.

“I wish you’d thought of that earlier,” he said breathlessly.

“You didn’t exactly give us the opportunity,” Stone said, arms folded across his chest.

“Touche,” Flynn winced, and he could feel Eve tense up behind him.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Cassandra’s wide eyes were full of reproach.

“That the Eye of Ra was the only thing that worked, oh, and by the way, it needs a human sacrifice?” Flynn asked. “No way.”

“I seem to remember you saying some fine things about trust and teamwork,” Ezekiel said bitterly.

“What would you have done, if I’d told you?” Flynn asked quietly.

“We would have tried to stop you,” Stone said.

“Exactly,” Flynn said firmly, pulling his feet under him in an unsteady attempt to move to his feet. “Pure Evil needed to be leashed, again. I’ve had my time as the Librarian. I couldn’t ask any of you to give up this life, and so it had to be me.”

“We could have found an alternative, we did find an alternative,” Ezekiel objected.

Flynn had just straightened up when he felt a wave of dizziness hit him and he grabbed out at Eve, hovering nearby. His vision went blurry, and he felt a warm rush that he doubted had anything to do with Eve’s not-inconsiderable-attractiveness.

“Flynn?” she asked in concern.

“It’s nice you’re so tall,” the words sounded incongruous even to him, and then the ground rushed to meet him. 

* * *

 

At 5 foot 7 inches, and sturdily built, Jake was hardly a small man. Still, as he rushed forward to help Baird with Flynn’s dead weight, he had to admit the other Librarian had a point. Baird was big, and nothing demonstrated it quite so well as her easily catching all of Flynn’s six feet and 180 pounds. Between the two of them, they lowered Flynn gently to the ground.

“Flynn,” Baird said urgently.

“It’s just a faint,” worry belied Jake’s confident words as he groped for the weak and thready pulse at Flynn’s wrist.

“We should lift his legs,” Cassandra said, stepping forward to do just that.

Ezekiel looked at her sceptically.

“It’ll help the blood drain back down to his brain.”

“I know, but we’re going to look pretty bloody stupid holding Flynn’s legs in the air,” Ezekiel said with a sigh, but he lifted Flynn’s right leg anyway.

“Oof,” Cassandra grunted, staggering a little as she lifted Flynn’s left leg. “Hey, he’s pretty heavy.”

Jake couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“It’s not just a simple faint,” an unfamiliar voice had Jake on his feet reflexively. Ezekiel let Flynn’s leg go with an undignified thud as he too turned around.

A plump, familiar looking figure stood further up the walkway.

“Ray,” Eve breathed from where Flynn’s head was cradled in her lap. “What is it? Why isn’t he waking up?”

“It’s so nice to see you all,” Ray beamed, before sobering up again. “He wielded the Eye of Ra for a long time. A few more seconds, and he would have be completely spent.”

“Will he get better?” Jake asked protectively, seeing Baird’s face close up.

“The Eye of Ra draws on the sacrifice’s soul force,” Ray explained. “It drains it, until there is no more, balancing a soul against Pure Evil.”

“That sounds terrible,” Ezekiel said, making a face.

“It was the best option,” Ray said gently.

“Not the only one, though?” Jake interjected. He was a little surprised at how angry he still was about Flynn and Eve’s deception. “After all, when Charlene and Judson bottled this guy up, neither of them-”

“There’s always a price,” Ray said, almost sharply. “Charlene and Judson’s method had a far higher price. This was the only other way.”

“Will he be all right, Ray?” Baird’s voice was tight and controlled, but the pallor of her face gave away her worry.

“Not without help, Guardian,” Ray said, kneeling next to her. “And help comes with a price.”

“I’ll pay it,” she said immediately.

“Eve,” Jake hissed. “You don’t even know what it is.”

“He’s the Library,” Cassandra argued.

“He’s a building,” Ezekiel stated. “I think a building is going to be fairly indifferent.”

Ray ignored the three Librarians. “You ask me to help him, no matter the cost, Guardian?” he asked. She nodded. “Why him? Hundreds of Librarians before him have fallen to save the world.”

“Because he’s your favourite,” Eve said evenly, keeping eye contact with the Library’s avatar. “You love him.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to try to keep my fics canon compliant, so this fic's first three or four chapters will be like this - wriggling in the spaces between canon scenes.

"He is, that's very perceptive of you, Guardian," Ray exclaimed enthuasiastically, before quickly turning to the others. "Not that I'm not fond - very fond - of you three. You really do bring some colour and ... and pizzaz! But Flynn and I have been together a long time. We've had to look after each other."

Cassandra wondered whether Flynn had become more like Ray over the years, or whether Ray was consciously channelling a Flynn-like air to put them more at ease. Maybe a little of both?

"Will you help him?" Jake said, getting right to the point as always.

"If the Guardian will stand by her promise." It was like a switch kept being turned on and off, as Ray careened from enthuasiasm to seriousness within the space of a few sentences.

"Of course I do," Eve's voice was strong, and a chill ran up Cassandra's spine.

"I'll help pay the price as well," she said quickly without thinking. She was still angry - furious, really - at how she'd been manipulated to believe Eve had betrayed them. Angry at them for making her think it, and angry at herself for being capable of believing it.

"No, Cassandra Cillian," Ray said over Eve's protestation. "This is for the Guardian and the Last and First Librarian."

"Wasn't the first Librarian Judson?" Ezekiel asked, eyes narrowing shrewdly.

"I have had different forms," Ray said cryptically. "Flynn was the Last Librarian, and he is the First Librarian."

"Do you mean just that we're all on board now?" Jake asked.

Ray smiled.

"Why don't you three check that Galahad made it to the surface?"

It wasn't a suggestion, even Cassandra recognised that.

"Eve?" she asked, looking at their Guardian who apparently had paid little attention to their conversation with Ray, and was instead staring at the unconscious man in her lap as if that would wake him.

"We'll be right behind you," she said with a tight smile.

* * *

 

The walk through the Library was quiet.

Mostly quiet.

"I'm still pissed at them," Ezekiel said. 

"So we should be," Stone said firmly. "They lied to us."

"I just want Flynn to be okay," Cassandra said in a small voice. The Library without Flynn was unimaginable. Sure, he wasn't around a whole heap, but he had a way of somehow seeming present at the edge of everything they did. As for Eve...She wondered what Eve would be like without Flynn. Cassandra couldn't imagine it.

"He'll be fine," Stone said gruffly, as they stepped outside.

"It's done, then," Jenkins said, fists unclenching, He suddenly looked old. 

"Where's Eve?" the DOSA General demanded.

"Flynn and Eve shouldn't be too far," Stone said.

"We found a loop hole," Ezekiel said proudly.

"A loop hole?" Rockwell looked confused.

"You see, General," Jenkins' sardonic tone undermined any hint of respect his use of her title might have suggested. "What you and your people unleashed was Apep, a powerful avatar who has been working for some months to unleash Pure Evil on the world. Flynn was going to use the Eye of Ra - the only artifact to mine or his knowledge - which could defeat Apep. It requires a human sacrifice."

Rockwell blanched visibly.

"That's barbaric," she said.

"In Flynn's hands, less barbaric than stupidly suicidal," Ezekiel said pointedly. He figured that Rockwell got it - after all, the conveniently unconscious person who had nearly unleashed Pure Evil on the world had been dragged (and later, escorted) to safety.

"Loop hole? There's no loop hole," Jenkins said impatiently.

"The Monkey King gave me the power to bestow inner soul," Stone said, rolling his sleeve back up. 

"I gave him thought," Cassandra said, figuring it was best to keep it vague.

"I had that love potion, you know, from the whole Cyndi incident," Ezekiel said.

"You gave Apep human form," Jenkins closed his eyes and nodded.

"So Flynn stopped using the Eye-"

"He'd started using it?" Jenkins asked sharply.

"Yeah," Stone began, but was cut off by Ezekiel.

"You have some serious explaining to do!" he said, but couldn't hide his relief at seeing Flynn and Eve walk out of the Annexe, apparently unscathed.


	3. Chapter 3

Eve could see the surprise in the faces of the Librarians around her as the General reluctantly and somewhat grudgingly agreed to transfer the artifacts back.

"You're doing the right thing, Cynthia," Eve said, taking a half-step forward. The older woman had - and did­ - mean a lot to her.

"I hope I am," her mentor replied, eyes flickering between her and Flynn. "I hope you realise that you've exhausted trust today from all sides."

"You made me choose," Eve said firmly, unable to hide the flicker of anger. "You were the one who asked me the question - DOSA or Library -" she took a deep breath, aware her emotions were far too raw and superficial to be able to continue without bursting into tears.

"I really don't think you can be too mad at Eve," Flynn's solid warmth was suddenly much closer beside her, and his words - while directed at the General - were clearly meant for all of them. His little finger lightly, and deliberately, brushed over her hand. "You asked the question, and she answered it by saving the world."

General Rockwell opened her mouth, but simply sighed.

"Let's get this all packed back away," she said in resignation, turning sharply on her heel. "You might as well help coordinate, Colonel."

"Ma'am," Eve replied, briefly taking and squeezing Flynn's hand before turning to the nearest group of stunned DOSA agents. "All right you lot, we're turning this all back around. Unload those trucks and move these artifacts back."

"They're not coming back into my Library," Jenkins said, with offended pride. "They can leave them at the door."

Eve couldn't hide a smile as Ezekiel groaned.

"Great, we have to carry them back in," the Australian complained.

"Outsiders are not welcome in the Library," Jenkins said sternly, with a sharp look at both Eve and Flynn, before he too turned and hurried to rescue an overstuffed box in which the Phylactery of Liliana rested precariously on top a shawl Eve swore she'd never seen before. "Be careful with that," he barked.

Eve sighed and exchanged a glance with Flynn who shrugged.

"Let's get to it," he said, with a clap of his hands.

* * *

The sky's edges were coloured with pink and purple by the time the last of the artifacts had been dropped to the door by DOSA, and painstakingly carted back inside the main Library. Ezekiel lingered for a moment, an unfamiliar and brief pang of homesickness in him as he remembered the vivid oranges, pinks and purples over the Sydney Harbour Bridge an afternoon that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Ezekiel?" Baird prompted, not impatiently, and he shut the door behind them before picking up the other edge of the crate and helping her carry the last case back down.

Jenkins had immediately taken charge, and crates of artifacts had been organised into piles according to some sort of system that he wanted to now use.

Flynn was leaning against a nearby cabinet, looking unusually old and tired.

"Is that everything?" Jenkins asked of Cassandra, who had immediately started checking things in the last crate off the list on the clipboard in front of her. Ezekiel had to admit that DOSA's insistence on cataloguing everything had made this process much smoother - they just had to tick each item from the DOSA list off as they were returned.

"We're still missing a few things," Cassandra frowned. "Important things-"

"The Crown of King Arthur, Excalibur, and Angelica's ring," Eve finished the sentence.

"Plan C?" Flynn asked tiredly.

"Plan C," an unfamiliar voice came from within the stacks, and a tall African-American DOSA agent emerged with Excalibur floating behind him and a small box.

"Cal," Flynn smiled and the sword bounced happily over to him, gently hitting him with the flat of the blade. "Buddy!"

"That thing is so goddamn weird, Baird," said the un-named agent, handing her the box. "Scratch that. This whole day has been weird. I think I deserve an explanation."

"Wait, you told this dude the plan?" Ezekiel glared at the stranger, feeling an odd mixture of renewed betrayal and jealousy.

"Hey man, all I got told was that if I didn't hear from Baird or some guy called Flynn within six hours, I was to contact either Ezekiel Jones, Jacob Stone, or Cassandra Cillian and deliver Mr Jenkins over there and this box and the sword that walks on its own to them," the agent said defensively, holding up his hands.

"This is Captain Joshua Lewis," Eve said. "He and I served together. He was our Plan C. Lewis, this is Ezekiel, Jake, and Cassandra. You've met Jenkins. This is Flynn."

"You gave a stranger Excalibur?" Jenkins interrupted the introductions incredulously, looking accusingly at Flynn.

"Look, first, he's not a stranger," Baird said defensively. "We served together, I trust him."

"She did not give me the freaky sword. She told me where the freaky sword was hidden. All I did was open the door and the thing just followed me," Lewis said.

"Oh you trust him do you?" Ezekiel couldn't help but snarl, almost in unison with Stone.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is going on any more than you guys apparently did," Lewis snapped back. "All I know is I'm Plan C, and I'm supposed to help Plan B which is you guys. I was not told Plan A - which I assume worked, for once - so you guys can just get off my case."

"Plan A was to lure Apep into the Library to get him to release Pure Evil here, stop him with the Eye of Ra. DOSA was necessary to get Apep here, and to take the artifacts for safekeeping," Baird explained succinctly. "Plan B was if we failed, and Pure Evil was released, Jenkins and these three would find a way to stop him, but we weren't sure if they would have access to the Annexe where Flynn was going to store the main artifacts while I packed up the rest of the artifacts with DOSA. Lewis was storing these three things for you guys in the event you would not have access to the Annexe. He was also head of security in DOSA, so he would release Jenkins if you guys hadn't, and hopefully get you access to everything else DOSA had."

"How did you know he'd do all of that?" Cassandra asked sceptically.

"Hey, lady, how do you think you got Jenkins out in the first place?" the soldier asked. "I saw you guys head in, and swapped the cameras to a looped feed so you could do whatever it was. Not to mention redirecting four patrols around you to a made up disturbance!"

"I did think it was a bit too easy," Stone softened visibly, uncrossing his arms. "Jake Stone. Thanks, man."

Lewis looked mollified as he shook Jake's hand.

"But why?" Ezekiel asked, trying to wrap his head around it.

"I owe Baird," Lewis said simply. "She saved my life twice. And...well, she Didn't Tell."

"You owe me for the two times I dragged your ass out of a firefight," Baird said drily. "The other one you don't owe me anything."

"They'd have court-marshalled your ass if it'd come out," Lewis said.

"Well it didn't," Baird replied.

"Being gay was really that big a deal?" Ezekiel asked incredulously. Saving his life, okay, sure that was a motive. But to do this kind of this simply for Eve not reporting him being gay?

"Quickest way to a dishonourable discharge," Lewis replied. "Anyway, DOSA don't know I'm here, I need to get back."

"Thanks for looking after Cal," Flynn said, looking up from where he'd been stroking Cal. 

(Honestly, Flynn was really very weird).

"From what you've just said, and what the men are saying, y'all just saved the world, so I think I still owe you one, Eve," Lewis said. "This is some weird shit, but if you need extra muscle, call."

"You're a good man," Baird said, doing the whole handshake-hug thing.

"Nah, I'm just interested in the eye candy," Lewis said with a playful smirk. "You didn't say that your boyfriend was hella cute, or that 'Plan B' were so good looking."

Ezekiel felt the tension that had been building all day suddenly crack a little, as the entire room started blushing. As Lewis winked suggestively at a clearly surprised Flynn, Ezekiel couldn't hold back a laugh.

"You're married, Lewis, stop hitting on my boys," Baird said, shooing him towards the door. 

"That don't mean I can't admire the scenery," Lewis said lightly, as he and Eve disappeared in the direction of the side door.

Ezekiel frowned, mentally making a note to rig up an alarm for the side door that he could deactivate for himself at will, but would prevent that guy from coming in unannounced. It wasn't that he didn't trust Baird, it was just that...well, given recent events it seemed prudent to think about changing security measures.

"Merlin's crown, Excalibur, and Angelica's ring?" Jenkins turned to a still purple-faced Flynn.

"The alternative Loom worlds made it clear that Cassandra could use the crown. The ring would be useful for obtaining things from DOSA - Lewis' help not withstanding," he looked down to Cal who had settled by his hip. "And Cal I wanted to keep safe, so I locked him in our flat."

"How long have you guys been planning this?" Stone asked incredulously.

"Are we actually still having this fight?" Flynn's voice rose, as Eve re-entered the room.

"We haven't had the fight yet," Cassandra interjected, trying to keep her voice calm. "But you didn't seriously think that explanation for Rockwell's benefit was enough, do you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a lot of exposition!
> 
> But then this is what happens when you feel betrayed - you demand answers.

Eve sighed at the younger woman's words, feeling suddenly very old and very tired as the day's adrenaline drained out of her. She took a deep breath; if she was not the sensible one then Lord knew none of them would be.

"Well, we're all dead on our feet and none of us have eaten all day," she said pragmatically, stepping back out into the main room. "So let's order dinner. And sit down somewhere."

"Pizza?" Jones said immediately, pulling out his phone and opening up the app.

Eve chuckled.

"Sure, Jones," she said fondly. "Provided there's no objections."

There weren't any.

"There is a conference room," Jenkins announced, pointing to the row of doors.

"A conference room?" Stone repeated sceptically.

"Yes, it's where we used to hold Conclaves," Flynn said. Eve narrowed her eyes at him; while he'd initially seemed back to normal after Ray had healed him, he was far too subdued for her liking.

(Her mother had remarked that Flynn was like the puppy Eve had always wanted).

(Eve tried not to think too hard about that analogy).

The little group trailed Jenkins to a nondescript door, which he opened, and then immediately shut again before anyone had the chance to see inside.

"I must have taken a wrong turn," he said shortly.

"No, this is definitely it, in between the Room Without Dimensions and the broom closet," Flynn argued, stepping forward.

"No, it isn't," Jenkins said emphatically, tacking on a belated, "Mr Carsen."

Flynn ignored him, and opened the door. Before immediately shutting it again.

"Well?" Jenkins raised his eyebrows.

"This should be the Conference Room...Ray are you moving things about?" Flynn directed his gaze upward.

"There's a table and chairs in here," Cassandra said, opening the next door.

Flynn peered around her shoulder.

"Jenkins," his voice held a note of something - warning? regret? - Eve wasn't sure.

Jenkins looked as well, and sighed deeply.

"What is going on?" Stone looked like he was about to run out of patience, and Eve couldn't blame him.

"I think the message is clear, sir," Jenkins addressed Flynn, having opened a door two down. "All roads lead to Rome...as it were."

"Well, it's clearly a message," Flynn said.

Jenkins sighed, and pointed through the door.

"In," he ordered. "But for heaven's sake, don't touch the old chair."

It took Eve longer than she'd have liked to admit to realise what had Jenkins so damn twitchy. Inside the room was a simple wooden table. It was round, and had a hole in the middle of it that quite frankly made it look like a donut. Six regular office chairs

looked oddly out of place, and there was a seventh seat that was clearly older; a carved, wooden-back chair.

"Hang on," Eve said slowly as she took one of the seats. Flynn dropped into the chair beside her. "Is this ... the Round Table?"

It was far smaller than she had imagined; it would only ever seat six to eight adults with enough space not to feel crowded.

"Uh, duh, it's round," Ezekiel rolled his eyes.

"No idiot," Stone snapped. "It's the Round Table."

Ezekiel's eyebrows shot upwards.

"This old thing? Ow!"

Jenkins, who had smacked Ezekiel in the back of the head glared at the much younger man.

"Show some respect," he growled, taking a plain office chair as well.

"You don't want to take your seat?" Flynn glanced at the old chair.

"No falsehoods ought be said here," the words were obviously a familiar rote to Jenkins, given the way they rolled off his tongue. "I never liked that seat."

Flynn simply nodded, forehead furrowing as it tended to do when he was presented with a problem.

"Did you know about the box?" Ezekiel asked abruptly, looking at Eve directly.

"Box?" Eve asked, completely confused. 

"Jenkins' box," Ezekiel was leaning forward now, looking as intent as Eve had ever seen him.

"A box?" Eve felt vaguely horrified, but mostly just sick. Rockwell had been deliberately vague on her plans for Jenkins, citing Eve's attachment as a risk.

(She wondered whether Rockwell had figured out that Flynn was more than just her coworker. Rockwell had given her a firm Talking To about attachments, but the conversation had been around friendship rather than...well, romantic entanglements).

"You didn't know about the oxygen venting when we put in a wrong answer?" Ezekiel pressed the point.

"Oxygen venting?" Eve said faintly, her stomach and heart heavy.

"How do you think they'd do it?" Jenkins asked impatiently.

"There's a brig," Eve replied. "She showed me a brig!"'

"Well, apparently I'm an artifact," Jenkins said with obvious distaste.

"I meant what I said," Eve said. "I didn't - we didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"How long have you been planning this?" Cassandra asked.

"We'd been talking about it since Flynn recovered the Eye of Ra," Eve replied.

"But properly since your surgery," he added. "That's when we fixed on DOSA as our artifact storage back up."

"But if Pure Evil was released into the world, how did you expect us to contain it? Charlene and Judson used magic!" Stone questioned.

"Lewis was really sceptical," Eve said honestly. "About the whole thing. He promised me twenty-four hours of grace. But he would have, once he realised what was happening, given you access to DOSA."

"And if that fell through," Flynn started somewhat awkwardly, looking apologetically at Eve. "My death would have triggered a Clipping Book notification telling you how to access the Annexe, and where Cal was and a few other specific items."

Jenkins' eyes narrowed. "You were responsible for the calibration issues?" 

Flynn nodded apologetically. "I'll reverse it, but I needed to weaken the Anchoring and allow it to be relatively easily accessed by them."

"The Clipping Book was locked up," Ezekiel pointed out impatiently. "It's not much of a failsafe plan if we couldn't get into DOSA."

"Don't you still have the app?" Flynn asked in honest surprise. Ezekiel looked taken aback.

"Oh yeah," he said. "You know about that?"

"Clever piece of magic-tech interface," Flynn said easily, and Eve felt a pang of pride at how he was clearly making an effort to give Ezekiel some undiluted praise.

"Why didn't you tell us about the Eye?" Cassandra's voice was plainitive now.


	5. Chapter 5

Jenkins watched as Flynn gave a guilty half-glance towards Eve.

He hadn’t quite believed the Guardian’s words, earlier in the corridor. After all, soldiers were good at surviving situations, and it would definitely have been in her interests to keep them guessing what side she was on.

Well, he hadn’t believed her until her classically beautiful face had crumpled on learning the price of the Eye of Ra, eyes welling.

He refused to believe that she was that good an actress; because he’d seen the way they loved each other from the start, seen the way that Flynn looked at her like she was the sun and moon and stars, and the way she blushed, giggled, and flirted like a schoolgirl when he was around. He didn’t want to believe that that had been an act, for Flynn’s sake. And her sake, come to think of it; what kind of person could act that in love and not actually be _in_ love? One worthy of pity.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want,” he took a deep breath, obviously, unusually for him, lost for words. “It was becoming more clear that this was the best option, and I needed to be able to use it.”

“We could’ve helped to find an alternative,” Mr Jones argued. “Otherwise you’d be dead right now.”

The Australian was focussed on Flynn, and missed the way the Colonel’s face paled, and her hand slipped off the Table. Flynn jolted in surprise a split second later, but also let his hand fall off the Table.

Jenkins rolled his eyes and took a moment to marvel at how  _convincing_ _ly_ they'd played their parts of the traitor and jilted lover, given they didn't ever seem to stop touching each other (almost always innocently, although there had been that very unfortunate time he'd walked in to the Annexe to find them kissing in a definitely not safe for work way). He shuddered inwardly, trying to erase that mental image.

“If it existed, the solution would have been magical,” Flynn was saying firmly. “You have been Librarians for still only a relatively short period of time, and the untrained mind is susceptible to magic.”

“And yours isn’t?” Cassandra was the one who would react badly to that, and did, but the other two bristled as well.

“I’m trying to stop you from making mistakes I did,” Flynn’s quiet words had quite the effect, and Jenkins watched as Stone’s hackles immediately went back down. “And the mistakes of Librarians before me. I limit my use of magic. I can do a fair bit; I know how to do it, and it’s been picked up over more than a decade. But I’ve also seen the consequences, how it eats you up, which is why Judson was the one who always advised me about magic, to prevent me from knowing too much, using too much. In the same way that Jenkins advises you.”

Jenkins winced as the Table’s attention turned to him.

“Is that why you didn’t tell us?” Stone asked. “We could’ve helped look for a loop hole.”

“Mr Carsen is right,” Jenkins said. “Magic…it draws you in. He’s had years of dealing with magic, of pushing away the temptation. For years, he has been the single most potentially powerful person in the world. Think of what he could have done with all these artifacts – he could have been eternally youthful, raised armies, conquered countries, and, barring an incident with an Apple, has refrained from doing so.”

“Raised the dead,” Flynn was looking at the Table, tracing a pattern only he could see with his free hand. Jenkins wondered if he’d intended to speak out loud, and thought not from the softness of his voice and unadulterated yearning it held.

The LITS looked momentarily flummoxed, and Jenkins could see the realisation of the hardest part of the role suddenly dawn on them.

A year or two too late, if he’d been asked.

It _would_ be Cassandra who would press the point.

“But if it could have saved you, magic, wouldn’t it be worth it?” her tone was thoughtful, though, no longer angry.

“At what price, Cassandra?” Flynn’s voice was deep and gentle. “A human sacrifice is required, that’s a non-negotiable part. Do I create a new life to then take? Do I find the most horrible person on earth to sacrifice? That makes me no better than Apep. Would an undead human sacrifice be sufficient? Probably not, and necromancy is nasty work.”

“And on initial research, turning spirits into corporeal form requires much more difficult magic than could be done with an uncontainable Egyptian god,” Jenkins said. “Your solution was…unique, and entirely clumsy, and accomplished with no small measure of sheer dumb luck.”

“You were helping with the research,” Ezekiel said accusingly. “You knew all along that Flynn was going to-“”

“I was doing most of the research, as Flynn said, he tries to minimise his knowledge and use of magic,” Jenkins replied stiffly. “And no, I did not know the plan. I did not think we were at the point where we were going to use it.”

“The Incorruptible Knight,” again, Jenkins suspected Flynn hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and the Librarian immediately moved to cover his words. “We were at the point where we needed to use it; the Well of Souls had grown dark, and the Roman Catacombs were starting to whisper. It needed to be used, before the scales were tipped irrevocably against us. The only person I could sacrifice – I had to keep you all safe. Believe me, I stalled and looked for alternatives but it had to be done.”

It was hard to argue with that, and Jenkins could see the LITs visibly soften.

“You’re quiet about this, Eve,” Stone said, eyes narrowing. Flynn visibly winced, and Jenkins began compiling a list of reasons to leave the room.

It was so unbearably awkward to be in the room with them when they argued.

“Was this what you were going to say in Alaska?” she asked quietly, ignoring Stone, and surprising Jenkins, not for the first time.

“Yes,” Flynn answered almost reluctantly.

“Oh Flynn,” Eve sighed. There was an entire conversation in those two words, with exasperation, disappointment, and...a hint of gratitude?

The LITs looked at each other.

 _Please don’t say anything_ , Jenkins pleaded silently. _If she’s willing to let it go, don’t prod the issue._

Ezekiel Jones, of course, would not be silenced.

“Is that all you have to say?” he asked. "You're not angry that he lied to you?"

 


	6. Chapter 6

Flynn concentrated really hard on not adjusting his grip on Eve’s hand under the Table, trying to let her say what she wanted or needed to say without any judgement or censure.

He wasn’t sure if he’d ever been more relieved in his life when her fingers tightened around his.

“Right now I’m just glad he’s alive,” she said quietly. “I’ll be angry later.”

Flynn could feel tears welling up, and he blinked them away quickly, hoping nobody noticed, and wondered, not for the first time, what he’d done to be with this woman.

There was a moment’s silence, where the world contracted to just him staring into her eyes. (Not stormy, now, exactly, but the calm after the storm. Or possibly before the storm).

“Pizza’s here,” Jones announced as his phone beeped.

“Can we stop fighting now?” Cassandra asked plaintively. “I’m starving. Anyway, I did a much worse thing when I first met you; I actually betrayed you.”

“Cassandra,” Flynn said gently and warmly. “You had good reason –“

“You’ve explained yours now,” she said, suddenly tearful. “And it’s far less selfish than mine was. I’m sorry I was mad at you.”

The second was directed to them both, and the lithe redhead jumped up from her chair and dashed over, hugging first Flynn than Eve tightly.

“Let’s go and eat, Red,” Eve said with a gentle smile.

Dinner passed in a whirlwind. The boys had been quiet, obviously lost in their own thoughts, while Cassandra had jabbered away (once forgiven, it seemed like all was forgot). It seemed like no time at all before Eve was opening the door to the apartment and they were stepping through.

“Eve, I wanted to tell you,” Flynn said, figuring it was best to get out ahead. "But after-"

Warm lips on his interrupted him, and Flynn returned her kiss eagerly.

“I can’t fight you tonight,” Eve whispered, pulling back to allow them both to catch their breath. “I’m just…Flynn, I love you. I don’t want to live in a world where you don’t.”

“I’m here.”

There were probably cleverer, better, more romantic words to say than those two, but they seemed to do just fine as Eve kissed him again, pushing the jacket from his shoulders. Flynn wasn’t going to argue, hands roaming as he pulled her closer, revelling in the fact that he wasn’t dead and he could still love her.

Flynn was nearly asleep later, much later, when heard a hiccoughing sob and felt Eve’s arm tighten around his waist.

“Honey?” he mumbled sleepily.

Eve said something in reply, but it was muffled as she spoke the words directly into his neck.

“Can’t hear you,” Flynn said, more awake now, and Eve pulled away a little.

“I was right,” she repeated, a hot tear hitting his shoulder. “How can I be Guardian when I … Flynn, I was prepared to let Pure Evil loose in the world because I can’t lose you.”

He had thought a lot about this, ever since their conversation after Cassandra’s surgery. They’d returned home exhausted and had curled up together, when Eve had haltingly started to tell him about her worry that she couldn’t be their Guardian.

 _“I was the counterterrorism squad leader, Flynn_ ,” she had said. “ _I had to be impartial. I had to order my men into dangerous situations, and sometimes they died. If it was a choice between stopping WMD going off into the wrong hands and one of my men dying, I would stop the WMD from going into the wrong hands.”_

 _“But with you four,”_ she had paused, taking a shaky breath. “ _I know the fight against Pure Evil is coming up, and I know we might have to make hard choices. But Cassandra – I couldn’t leave her, or Stone, or even Jones. I don’t think I can make the right choice.”_

_Flynn had meant to tell her about the Eye of Ra, but he forced the words back down on hearing this. He couldn’t put her in that position. Instead, he had done his best to assure her that it was okay, that their plan would work and the LITs would be safely out of the way._

“You’re the Guardian,” he said now, rubbing her shoulder. “You protect the Library and the Librarians, and, up until now, there’s not been a situation where it’s been a choice between a Librarian’s life or the world. Today was an exception, Eve, and at the end there, when you came and caught me, when I still had the Eye, you didn’t take the Eye away. You held me and you waited. If their plan hadn’t worked-”

“I don’t know what I would have done,” Eve said in a small voice. Flynn rolled, shifting so that he was balanced above her with his elbows bracketing her arms.

“I don’t think you can know until you’re in that spot,” he said, brushing a kiss over her shoulder.  “It doesn’t matter what you might have done because your plan worked, the LITs did it. I don’t think we’ll face something that extreme again. I trust you, and I love you, and I’m happy you’re my Guardian.”

“A Guardian can’t Guard unless she knows what’s going on,” he voice was stronger now, and she sounded somewhat reassured, so Flynn grinned.

“I thought you weren’t going to fight me tonight,” he teased gently, pressing a kiss to her throat.

Eve laughed, finally, and pulled at his hips, settling them so that they were in contact from shoulder to shin.

“You’re incorrigible,” she said, fingers threading through his hair as he kissed her jaw, then the corner of her mouth.

“I meant what I said today,” Flynn said earnestly, hovering just over her lips. “I love you completely and always and forever.”

Her other hand caressed his cheek.

“And I love you just as much,” she said fiercely. “Please don’t ever believe that I don’t.”


	7. Chapter 7

Stone glanced at the clock again.

"They should be here by now," Jenkins said, almost vibrating with excitement and/or frustration.

Jake had arrived at the Annexe a little later than usual, at 08:30, to find Jenkins practically buzzing around the place. He had decided that the chaotic return of artifacts to the Library provided an opportunity to reorganise it, and as far as Jake could tell, Jenkins had been up all night drawing up a new plan.

Which he wanted Flynn to approve.

"I didn't think you cared about what Flynn thought," Jones said.

"He's the Librarian - the senior one anyway," Jenkins replied. "The Library is his domain, after all."

The last was said begrudgingly.

"I really don't think Flynn would throw you out like Judson did," Cassandra said sympathetically, succeeding only in making Jenkins grumble under his breath. She hesitated before adding, "you don't think something's wrong, do you?"

"Like what, Cass?" Ezekiel challenged.

"I don't know, DOSA? That Lewis guy must know where they live," Cassandra said in a small voice.

There was a charged silence, and Jenkins and Jake exchanged glances.

"I'm sure they're fine," Jake said unintentionally abruptly.

It was almost like he was cycling through the stages of grief. He wasn't sure where the denial and bargaining fit in (given that what he had been denying was Eve's betrayal, which wasn't really a betrayal), but the anger bit had been definitely checked. He figured he was entering the depressed phase.

It hurt that they hadn't told them. He could appreciate Flynn's logic, but it was hardly teamwork when two of the team double crossed the other four, and when one of the two double crossed the other, even if it was all in the service of protecting them (and the world).

Cassandra had forgiven quickly, and Jake could understand that. She looked up to Eve and Flynn as older siblings, if not quite parents. Jake couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but he figured that she'd not had many girl friends from the way she seemed to follow Eve's lead and model behaviour after Eve.

Jake wasn't sure where Ezekiel was at; the Australian seemed to be an odd mixture of angry and accepting - and Jake suspected that given how close the younger man was used to playing his own thoughts that he understood where Eve and Flynn had come from.

It was he and Jenkins who were angriest, although, ironically, at different people. Jake was still angry with Flynn, partly for not trusting them, partly for misleading Eve, and partly because Flynn didn't seem to regret his choice at all.

Jenkins on the other hand was angry at Eve. He had seemed to adopt a, 'oh that's management for you' approach to Flynn's deception, but Eve's apparent betrayal had seemed to cut deeper for him.

Just then, Jones' phone beeped.

"Flynn and Eve are here," he said, looking at the phone. Jake raised his eyebrows at the Australian, and could see Jenkins and Cassandra doing the same thing in his peripheral vision.

"I've made an app," he explained, holding up his phone. "It takes a photo every time someone gets within a five metres of the front door and sends it to me." He paused and frowned, before adding, "I need to work on filtering out the squirrels."

"Finally," Jenkins huffed, gently smoothing down the edge of the top plan that he'd drawn out the night before.

Long moments passed, the four of them watching the door into the main Annexe expectantly.

"Are you sure that was them?" Jenkins asked sceptically a few minutes later, when Eve and Flynn hadn't emerged from the corridor.

"I'll go check," Jake volunteered as Jones launched into a passionate defence of the new App.

Shaking his head, he stepped out into the corridor, and followed it around. Flynn and Eve's voices grew louder as he approached the med bay, and he pushed open the partially ajar door.

"Woah," the exclamation was involuntary. "What the hell?"

Eve had taken her shirt off (mercifully leaving on a sports bra) and was lying on her stomach on the narrow bed of the med bay. Flynn was applying the bruise balm they kept in the third drawer (it was great stuff, and Jake wished he knew where it came from.

(It was the one magical thing that he used without thinking too hard about it).

Her back was mottled a painful red-black, with bruising worst in the middle. They were clearly new and very painful.

"What did you do?" his first instinct was to swing around at Flynn. Generally, thinking about the two of them felt a bit like thinking about his sister and her partner, but if Flynn was this rough with her he was definitely going to give him a piece of his mind.

Flynn was either oblivious to the implied threat or just chose to ignore it.

"Apep," he said tightly. "Threw her across the room."

"It's not as bad as it looks-"

"I'd say it's exactly as bad as it looks," Stone interrupted Eve in horror. "When did this happen?!"

"Just before I ran into you guys," Eve admitted, twisting a little and grimacing as she tried to look at her back.

"Stay still," Flynn said sharply, but Eve had already groaned.

"Oh god, I didn't realise Jenkins had held you so hard," Jake stared at Eve's neck in horror, attention deliberately and quickly sliding past the reddish discolouration below her clavicle that he suspected was down to Flynn rather than Jenkins. At least, he hoped it was down to Flynn, because it really was more on her breast than near her neck.

"Jenkins?" Flynn froze, suddenly and uncharacteristically sharp eyes pinning Jake's own.

"Flynn," Eve said warningly, slowly moving up to a sitting position and grabbing his hand.

Jake fidgeted under Flynn's scrutiny, unsure what to say.

"Jenkins sort of grabbed her by the throat," Jake said quickly, refusing to look at Eve. 

Jake felt a chill run up his spine at the fury on Flynn's face. The other Librarian played the absent minded professor so well that Jake forgot that underneath was a razor sharp mind that had apparently been capable of surviving as a Librarian sans Guardian for the better part of a decade.

"It was mostly Apep," Eve said sharply. "Jenkins didn't actually press too hard."

"Was this before or after you were knocked out for an unknown period of time?" Flynn asked.

"You were knocked out?" Jake did now look at Eve.

"It can't have been for long," she replied, almost sheepishly. "And they didn't know that it wasn't a double cross. Or rather, that it wasn't a double cross of them."

Flynn hardly looked mollified, but he did dip his fingers back into the jar of bruise balm, and moved around the other side of the bed to rub some more into her back as Eve remained seated.

"Where did you disappear - woah my eyes!" Jones' voice sounded behind him and Jake turned just in time to see Ezekiel clap his hands over his eyes dramatically.

"I'm perfectly decent, Jones," Eve said with a laugh.

"You're topless, Colonel Baird," he objected, but lowered his hands anyway. He frowned when he saw Flynn behind her and so Ezekiel ducked around and peered at Eve's back. Eve rolled her eyes at Jake. Looking a little pale, Ezekiel stepped back. "I didn't realise you were this kinky."

The words were obviously meant to be light hearted, but Jones' voice shook, clearly unnerved.

"Ew," Flynn said with an automatic wince as Eve rolled her eyes again.

"Courtesy of Apep," she said, taking a sharp intake of breath as Flynn pressed a sore spot.

"Sorry," he kissed her shoulder absently. 

"How many people does it take to - oh my god," Jenkins' irritated voice filled the room, and Jake glanced over to see Cassandra in tow. 

"Well, it turns out the bruises are rather obvious and painful," Flynn's voice was like ice, and he glared at Jenkins who had gone almost grey.

"Flynn," Eve said firmly, "this is really mostly from Apep."

"Colonel Baird," Jenkins said faintly. "I really - I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Jenkins," Eve said, unaware of Flynn's continued glare from behind her back. "As I said, I think they're from Apep not you. Besides, the throat's mostly just cosmetic, it's the back that's the problem."

"She got thrown into a pile of crates and knocked unconscious," Flynn said, still sounding angry, but his hands were obviously gentle as he smoothed the last of the bruise balm into her back. 

"I was fine until this morning," Eve commented, dipping her fingers into the bruise balm Flynn offered her as they both spread some over her neck. "It must have seized up last night. They'll be better in no time with this stuff."

"Yeah, well you should let it soak in," Flynn said, putting the lid back on the jar and going to wash his hands.

"Yes, dear," Eve said with a smile, earning herself a roll of the eyes from Flynn. "You lot should get started on putting everything back though, I'll come and help in a minute."

"No, there'll be no lifting for you today," Flynn said. "Your back is still spasming, don't make it worse. You can help Jenkins organise."

"About that, sir," Jenkins said, sounding almost nervous.

Jake couldn't blame him. Jenkins' anger at Eve had clearly faded in contrast to the bruises that marred her skin, and Flynn had looked ready to rain hellfire on the former knight.

"I was thinking of reorganising," Flynn continued, as if Jenkins had not spoken. "I understand you've been looking at ways to do that."

"Just this way, sir," the two men exited the room, after Flynn had glanced at Eve and she'd made a shooing motion.

"You look tired," Cassandra said sympathetically.

"Turns out absorbing Pure Evil gives you pretty bad nightmares," Eve said simply, giving each of them a Look.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, go easy on Flynn," Ezekiel said. "I'm gonna go, it's too weird seeing you undressed."

Eve laughed as Ezekiel left the room.

"Bless that poor boy if he ever goes to a beach," she said, exchanging an amused look with Cassandra.

"We'll see you in a few minutes? I want to hear what Flynn says about Jenkins' plans," Cassandra asked, hopping from one foot to the other.

"I don't need to be babysat," Baird said. "It's just until this stuff dries. Go on."

Keeping his eyes determinedly above her chest - look, he was a red-blooded American male, it was impossible not to notice that Baird, in an alternative universe, could have been a supermodel.

It was funny, because Jake sometimes wondered if Flynn realised just how hot his girlfriend was. He suspected that was part of Flynn's charm for Eve; Jake was pretty sure that the first thing Flynn had noticed about Eve hadn't been her looks, which must have been quite a novelty to her.

"Stone?" Baird waved at him. He startled a moment out of his thoughts, and her eyes narrowed. "You're still really angry aren't you?"

"Angry, and hurt," Stone replied honestly. 

"At Flynn or me?" she asked, gingerly touching a hand to her back and seeming satisfied that it was dry. She reached for her shirt.

"Mostly Flynn," he admitted. "A little at you. It just feels that we're back before the intervention, what with him not sharing -"

"He trusts you," Eve assured him as she carefully pulled her shirt back on. "The three artifacts - Cassandra would have made use of the Crown, I'd seen that in her Loom-verse. The Ring was for Ezekiel. Cal was for you. Specifically for you to use."

Oh.

"Really?" Jake asked, hating the hope that had flared in his chest. It wasn't like him to want someone's approval, someone's trust or friendship as much as this. 

"He thought about locking Cal in with the Large Collections and Dangerous Objects Collections to keep him safe," Eve replied. "But decided that you'd look after him and keep him company."

That actually did mean a lot. As weird as it was, Flynn's relationship with that sword was genuinely that of best friends. They hung out together every time Flynn was around. It wasn't unusual to see Flynn sitting somewhere with a book (or pile of books) and Cal resting on his knee as Flynn talked about whatever he was researching.

"I trust you too," Baird said, nudging his arm with hers. "Don't think that being part of a fail-safe wasn't a huge leap of faith. We knew that you three would find a way, and that you would protect the others with Jenkins. You're almost as much Guardian as you are Librarian."

Well, damn if that didn't just melt him in a puddle.

"Okay," he said, offering her a hand to hop off the bed. "Fine. You've sweet talked your way out of it."

She grinned at him affectionately, and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Let's go make sure that Flynn and Jenkins don't murder each other," he said, gesturing to the door.

 


	8. Chapter 8

"So," Ezekiel said conversationally as he set down his end of a crate of artifacts that Jenkins had decided he wanted near the Statue of Heracles, "why didn't you tell her?"

Flynn cocked his head, looking confused.

"You said that you were going to tell Colonel Baird about the whole suicide plan," Ezekiel expanded, rolling his eyes. "But you said that changed after Cassandra's surgery?"

Flynn stayed quiet for so long that Ezekiel thought he wasn't going to answer. They set down the crate of artifacts, and started unpacking them.

"Eve's a career soldier," Flynn said slowly, "and a high ranking one at that. Her job has involved sacrificing men - and women."

"Sure, you gotta stop the nuclear warhead going off," Ezekiel said, not following.

"She was friends with some of them," Flynn said, looking directly at Ezekiel for the first time in the conversation. "Went through boot camp with some of them. And she's been in situations where she has to secure the mission objective and sometimes that meant she had to ask her friends to hold the line."

"We talked, after Cass' surgery, about how she thought it was different as a soldier, those guys signed up to defend - well, not quite king and country - but to defend the United States with their lives," Flynn continued. "Making hard decisions is part of that, and I think - Eve was worried she couldn't do that as Guardian."

"She wants to quit?" Ezekiel felt a flash of panic. The Library would fall apart; he was self-aware enough to realise that there were far too many egos in the Annexe, and without the Colonel's calm mediation they'd probably tear each other apart in a week.

"No," the older man's response was firm and automatic. "She doesn't want to. But she was wondering whether she was right for the job."

"I don't see how this leads to you not telling her about your little death wish," Ezekiel prodded.

"Eve was worried she couldn't sacrifice one of us if it came down to the fate of the world," Flynn said, more succinctly. "I didn't want to put her in the position where she had to - or felt she had to - make that choice. Guardians - they Guard the Librarians."

"Nice of you to worry about her for a change," Ezekiel said caustically.

Flynn froze in the middle of putting an artifact onto the shelf.

"You think I don't worry about her?" he asked incredulously. "Off roaming the world with you three? Cassandra's interest in magic, your propensity for getting arrested, and Stone's talent for finding bar brawls!? You three can be a recipe for disaster, and every single time Eve stands between you and the bullet."

Ezekiel winced, knowing Flynn was referring to that incident a couple of weeks ago in Morocco where he'd accidentally caught the attention of the local police. The bullet had only really grazed Eve, but that wasn't really the point.

"That's her job," Flynn said firmly. "She's damn good at it. Doesn't mean I have to like the way she comes home with bruises and cuts. I try not to interfere in how she runs you lot as a team, she's much better at it than I am, but that doesn't mean I don't care or worry."

"That's the thing," Ezekiel mumbled.

"What?" 

"We're the team," he replied slowly, leaving, _and you're not in it_ unsaid.

"For the last eight years, it's been me, Charlene, Judson, and Cal," Flynn said tightly, an odd combination of embarrassment and anger lacing his tone. "That was my team. And you know, Cal died. Charlene and Judson took my home underground. We got the Library, and Cal back, but now Charlene and Judson..."

Ezekiel had the feeling Flynn was being more honest than he'd intended, as the older man's voice caught. 

"I'm trying," Flynn said shortly.

"Yeah, well, you need to practice spending time with people who aren't old and dead," Ezekiel said thoughtlessly, wincing a little as Flynn's expression closed over, and the other man turned away.

They worked in a cold silence for a while.

It was irrational, Ezekiel acknowledged, but he was getting angrier by the minute. The whole double cross was pretty clever, that wasn't the problem.

The problem was Flynn on his high horse, Flynn being mad now. Well, Flynn wasn't the one who'd been betrayed.

He said as much.

Flynn swore. "What would you have done? I've got the way to box up Pure Evil, the only way. Judson and Charlene - and I'll remind you that they've been doing this for longer than both of us have been alive - couldn't find a less costly way. But this way, the least costly way, requires a human sacrifice. If I'd told you all when I retrieved the Eye, what do you think would have happened. What do you think Cassandra would have done?"

Shit. He hadn't thought of it like that.

Ezekiel didn't want to admit it, but maybe Flynn had a point.

Before her operation (look, she'd even offer now) Cassandra would have argued that she was the one with the death sentence, and that if anyone was going to be sacrificed it should be her.

He couldn't be totally sure, but yeah, he guessed that they'd probably start arguing over who would sacrifice themselves.

"You're lucky we're that awesome," he said, as a kind of peace offering.

"I got a good team," Flynn smiled.

It wasn't until they were hauling the empty-but still unwieldy crate back that Ezekiel remembered the other question that had been on his mind.

"Did Eve ever tell you what Ray's price was?" he asked.

"Yes."

"You're not going to tell me."

"No."

"Do I need to play the, 'he doesn't trust me' card?"

"I think it's for Eve to say," Flynn said slowly. "Once she's had the time to think about it properly."

"You're no fun at all, Flynn," Ezekiel said with a sigh. "But you know, I don't hate you."

"Likewise."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of this dialogue is taken directly from the episode and is not mine.
> 
> One chapter left.

Eve would readily admit it felt good to see the Library back in order. She couldn't resist needling Jenkins about his rearrangement of artifacts.

The former knight had completely forgiven her by that morning, the second day of rearranging. (It galled that DOSA had managed to half-empty the Library in the space of a few hours, but it had taken the six of them - well, four and a half given Eve hadn't been allowed to help on the first day because of her back, and Flynn's adorable tendency to get distracted had not changed - but it had taken them two days to put the Library back).

Instead, Jenkins' focus had abruptly switched to the LITs use of magic. He had spent much of the day grumbling about the various ill fates met by former Librarians who had used magic.

Flynn did really seem to be an exception to the rule, and Eve wondered whether that was why Jenkins seemed to hold him in such esteem - not that Jenkins would ever admit it. It was one of the topics Flynn was cagey on, his relationship with Jenkins. At times, Jenkins seemed the exasperated uncle, but if Flynn ever told the other man what to do, Jenkins would do it. Begrudgingly perhaps, but he would.

Still, Jenkins' grumbling seemed to have had an effect on the LITs. She had seen Stone talking seriously with Flynn, sleeve rolled up to expose the tattoos from the Monkey King. Cassandra had cornered her in the Prophecies section to talk with her about an argument she'd had with Ezekiel (something about thought transmission violating consent).

The LITs seemed to have come to a decision. Eve frowned, making a mental note to check in with Ezekiel. He seemed freaked out, and Eve wondered if he'd touched an artifact as he was putting them back.

The three of them seemed more than relieved to have the Clipping Book give them a case, and as they all dashed off, she turned to Flynn. Jenkins hastily made himself scarce.

The argument had been brewing for a while. 

The first night she'd been unable to fight with him; too glad to have him alive and warm and with her, and knowing she would be hopelessly irrational. 

Last night, they'd both been dead on their feet after a day's cataloguing and sorting, and Flynn had woken multiple times in the night with nightmares. He'd woken up so dopey and tired that it hadn't been the right time.

At any rate, she felt she now knew how she wanted to react.

A not-so-small part was guiltily grateful Flynn hadn't told her; she wouldn't have been able to do her part knowing he was going to his death. Part of her was proud. It hadn't even occurred to Flynn to use Cynthia, and Eve wouldn't have entirely blamed him for having considered it.

(She could admit that given the choice, she'd rather have sacrified her beloved former mentor than Flynn. Hell, she'd sacrifice anyone above Flynn).

And he had tried to tell her, in Alaska. 

She was still angry with him, of course, for being such a fool-headed stubborn noble idiot, but he was trying. They'd pulled it off by the skin of their teeth, and more importantly, they'd worked as a team. It would have been better if he'd told someone else of his intentions, even if it hadn't been her. (Jenkins, perhaps. The older man would have found a way to stop Flynn, or change his odds).

"I guess this is the part where I apologise for keeping you in the dark and promise never to do it again?" Flynn looked apprehensive, rounding the desk to approach her.

She took a breath.

"Actually, no," Eve said, "you're Flynn Carsen. You spent years working alone, and you'll spend years adjusting to working with others. It's just who you are."

"And you're okay with that?" he asked sceptically.

"No. But you're trying, that's all I can ask."

"So you're suggesting that we just accept each other for who we are, faults and all?"

"Yes," she drew out the words, squeezing his hand, "but you're lucky, I don't have any faults."

He laughed. "You know you're right."

"See you're learning already," she slipped her arm around his waist, leaning in as they surveyed their Library.

"I should also say," Eve said after a while. "You know how I said I wanted you to be a hero? I was wrong. I want you to be you. You're not a screw up, even though at times I could slap you for sheer frustration, but I want you to be _present._ It's not a relationship if you aren't here and I miss you."

"A large part of that was knowing the Eye of Ra's price," he said quietly. "I was trying to decide whether I had the guts to pay it."

"Dying is easy," Eve said, mind recalling days in the military as a junior officer. Receiving an order to hold the line was easier than ordering others to hold the line, as odd as it might sound. She remembered the name of every single person for whom she'd had to write a letter to their folks. "Living is harder."

"Well, I have something to live for," Flynn's arm tightened around her, "that makes it a lot harder to leave."

She smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has read this story, and especially to those who have taken the time to leave kudos or comment. I hope you have enjoyed it! 
> 
> I also hope this chapter satisfactorily answers the question a few of you have been asking in the comments. Please let me know if it is what you thought it would be - and what you thought of it!

Their first case after dealing with Apep had really gone rather well, Cassandra thought delightedly, as she took another sip of her cocktail.

She wasn't being smug about having been correct about a virtual wormhole being responsible for the visions of the future. (Okay, maybe she was being a little smug, and maybe she'd made Jake and Ezekiel buy her a drink each).

Still.

Everything had gone right. Flynn had come along, seemingly quite happy to bumble along with them. Cassandra suspected he'd made a deliberate attempt to stay back, forcing himself to stay quiet as the three of them exchanged theories at a cracking pace.

It had been quite handy to have him there when they had to fight off the novice sorcerer's summoned sword-wielding henchmen (Flynn had delighted in that phrase, rolling the s sounds with glee). Although Baird probably could have handled both of them, there was no doubt that Flynn was a better swords-person than she was, and this way nobody had gotten injured.

In retrospect, both Flynn and Eve had seemed more present than they had over the last couple of weeks.

It was nice, she thought, beaming brightly.

"Isn't your face hurting yet?" Ezekiel griped, poking at the olive in his martini suspiciously.

She frowned at him.

"You know, from all the smiling," he mockingly bared his teeth in a wide grin.

"Don't take it out on me that you're unhappy we didn't have a hacker to fight," Cassandra said primly, slurping the rest of her cocktail.

"Besides, you gotta admit fighting a guy that could summon Highlanders from Scotlanders in the 1600s was kind of awesome," Stone put in.

"Yeah, that was cool, but he was pretty much doing all of it by accident," Ezekiel sighed. "It kind of takes the shine off the victory."

Cassandra opened her mouth to argue, but was forestalled by Eve, who was leaning comfortably and casually into Flynn's side, his arm stretched across her shoulders.

"Let's not bicker," she said indulgently.

"Yes, Mum," Ezekiel said with a grin.

"Flynn?"

"Ow!" Jones complained melodramatically, rubbing his arm where Flynn had lightly smacked him.

Cassandra giggled.

And giggled.

She flushed as the giggles turned into hiccoughs.

"How much has she had?" Flynn asked in concern, suddenly eyeing the drinks on the table.

"That's her third since dinner," said Jake, giving her a look as she clapped her hands over her mouth to try to stifle the hiccoughs. "Fourth if you count the glass of wine she had during dinner."

"Ezekiel drank most of it because she didn't like it," Eve said, "but that's still a fair bit for her."

" _She_ is still here," Cassandra tried to say pointedly, undermined by a hiccough.

"Think it's time to cut you off, Red," Eve said fondly, looking at her watch. "And it's nearly 2230. We should all head home."

"Oh no, I'll be late for the raid," Ezekiel said hurriedly, jumping up and quickly sliding into his jacket. "I'll see you all tomorrow morning!"

"Raid?"

"Some sort of video game," Eve answered Flynn's confused question, before calling out to Ezekiel, "don't stay up all night!"

"Yes, Mum," came the answering call.

"He's going to regret that in the morning, isn't he?" Stone asked with a smirk. Eve nodded.

"Listen, we'll give Cassandra a ride home, she's on our way," Flynn assured the other man.

"Sounds good," Jake said, and the three of them got to their feet, looking at Cassandra expectantly.

"Aww, I was having fun," Cassandra whined, making sure she'd finished every last bit of her drink.

"Yeah, but it's late, and you must be getting tired," Eve said. If that had come from anyone but Eve, Cassandra would have resented it, but Eve looked after her.

"I love you," she said, throwing her arms around the taller woman. Eve stiffened momentarily, but returned the hug, ignoring Flynn and Stone's smirks.

"Yeah, back at you, Red," she said affectionately, helping steady Cassandra as they exited the bar.

Cassandra waved goodbye at Stone as he climbed into his old pickup, before following Flynn to Eve's car. Flynn opened the door for her, and she climbed in.

The journey home seemed to take no time at all even though Eve wasn't speeding at all. Cassandra wondered why. Everyone she knew drove over the speed limit; everyone except Eve that was. Eve always drove exactly at the limit.

(Eve also refused to let Flynn drive most of the time. He got distracted, and seemed to not take any notice of speed signs...or stop signs...or lane markings... Flynn was really not a very safe driver at all).

"Will you be okay?" Flynn asked in concern as he escorted her up, waiting for her to unlock her apartment.

"Of course," she said brightly, trying to cover a huge yawn that had come on suddenly. She bounced up onto her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Flynn. You're the best!"

He laughed, and gave her a quick half-hug.

"Sleep well, Cassandra," he said kindly, before turning and heading back out to the car.

Back in her own apartment, Cassandra suddenly felt drained. She had a quick shower, brushed her teeth firmly (that was the bad thing about cocktails, you could often taste the sugar like it was literally coating your teeth) and practically fell into bed.

* * *

Charlene was getting close.

He was good at hiding, there was no doubt about it, but not even Ray could hide from her indefinitely.

"Here you are," she announced, rounding a bookcase, to find Ray sitting surrounded by books about Egyptian mythology. For some strange reason the area smelled strongly of bananas.

(The books weren't really there, of course, in the same way that Ray wasn't really there, and, well, that she herself wasn't really there. Ray was always a little vague about _where_ exactly they were, but had told her it was basically like being in the software of a computer as opposed to the hardware of the computer. The hardware being the physical Library. Oh, multiple planes gave her a headache - and none of that explained the banana smell).

"Hi, Charlene," he said brightly, as if he hadn't been hiding for the best part of three days.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you pleased with yourself, then?" she asked acerbically.

"Yep!" he announced proudly. "I would have been really sorry to lose Flynn."

"Yes, yes, we're all fond of the boy," Charlene muttered grumpily, "but was it really necessary to scare them half to death like that?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There is a price and it's Your Death," Charlene intoned as melodramatically as she could, mimicking Ray's discussion with Eve quite accurately if she did say so herself. "You know they're going to figure it out."

"Flynn already has," Ray said with a shrug, closing his book, "and Eve suspects, but doesn't want to know for sure."

"And you don't think that taking her Death from her will make things more difficult? You could have made the price anything," Charlene argued.

"Not anything," Ray held up a finger, suddenly solemn. "It required an equivalent sacrifice to even out the scales. You know soul-magic is messy, Charlene. And anyway, you already knew this was going to happen, why argue now?"

"I didn't know for sure you were going to do this," she said with a huff. "I thought the plan was for the others to use their gifts to make Apep human _before_ Flynn started using his soul to balance Pure Evil."

Ray looked a little guilty, and Charlene felt a brief flash of triumph as her suspicion that he had delayed the others with the cave in was confirmed.

"You know who Flynn is," Ray stated more than asked.

"He's Flynn Carsen," Charlene said, a little more angrily than she intended. She knew what Ray was alluding to, of course, but she felt inexplicably protective of Flynn's identity as, well, Flynn. No matter what he became there would always be that excitable, puppy-ish, too damn smart for his own good, fatherless and lonely young man in there somewhere. He was Flynn, not some long-lost hero reincarnated.

The Library rolled his eyes.

"What he represents," he rephrased dutifully. "He drew Excalibur from the Stone, admittedly with some help, but then Excalibur returned to him via the Lady of the Lake."

"Yes, yes, he's taken up the Mantle, albeit unknowingly," Charlene said impatiently. "So why let him nearly die and take his Guardian's Death? If those others had been a fraction slower you could have lost him - we could have lost him! We nearly did, as it happen."

Ray looked a little embarrassed, and Charlene suddenly got it.

"You didn't want him to be lonely?" she asked incredulously. "So you made his Guardian immortal like him?"

"She's not immortal," Ray hastened to correct her, "just...difficult to kill. Her death is just mine, now, and can only be taken in my service. Just like Flynn, since he has the Mantle."

"They may not thank you for that," Charlene rebuked.

Ray's eyes grew dark.

"She said she would pay whatever price," his voice was deep and other-worldly, and a gust of wind buffeted Charlene.

Charlene waited for him to be done, and carefully smoothed her hair back in place.

"People aren't artifacts," she said to him gently. "You can't collect them."

"You and Judson are moving on," he said, somewhat plaintively. "It's not collecting, they want to stay."

Charlene sighed. Flynn would want to stay of course, but she was worried that Eve would blame him for his part in this. Ray had taken away her humanity, in a way, by taking her Death.

(Not that Eve quite realised this. All Ray had said, in his typical enigmatic matter, was that her death was the price for Flynn's healing, and that it would be taken later. That was deliberately misleading. Oh, Eve would figure it out eventually, she wasn't stupid, but still, Ray could have just said that the price was Eve being functionally sort of immortal. While Charlene believed Ray when he said that Flynn had already worked it out, she also knew that Flynn didn't yet realise that he had actually entered the Kind-Of-Immortal club some time before his lover).

Being Kind-Of-Immortal was not an easy thing, as Charlene well knew. Someday, Colonel Baird's three chicks would outlive her, grow old beyond her, and die. She would see her family move on, the world outside the Library grow and change beyond imagination.

In the end, the only thing that would stay with her would be the other Kind-Of-Immortals, and the Library.

Charlene herself had not spoken to Judson for close to a hundred years at one point because she'd been so furious at leaving everyone and _everything_ behind (somewhere around when her dear friend Emily had passed on. It had been an odd friendship with the youngest Bronte sister, who had been a dreaming, wild sort, but Charlene had greatly regretted her death).

"Well, I think if you had to do this, they're a good choice," she said with a sigh.

Ray beamed again.

"I agree," he said. "I like her. I think I would have liked her even if Flynn didn't love her even more than he loves me. So of course I have to keep her."

Charlene opened her mouth to answer, when she noticed again the strange smell of bananas. She sniffed.

"Yes, we have a little eavesdropper," Ray smiled, "I think it's time for her to go home now."

* * *

Cassandra awoke with a gasp, a strange dream floating just out of reach, and desperately needing to pee.

Something about Ray, Charlene, Flynn and Excalibur, and Eve.

She sighed, looking at the clock to see it was only three in the morning.

"This is what happens when you drink too much, Cassandra Cillian," she said to herself firmly, swinging her legs out of bed and heading to the bathroom.


End file.
